Representatives of the four upstream Colorado River states called Tuesday for the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation to mediate talks among the Western states that are warring over a water-sharing deal for the drought-riddled waterway.
“I think it’s worth us recommending that the seven states and Reclamation engage with us in a mediated process,” said Estevan López, New Mexico’s lead Colorado River negotiator and a former Obama-era Reclamation commissioner.
“Every single state has said that litigation is not a good outcome; we ought to put our money where our mouth is,” he said, noting that talks have come down to the wire with rules governing the river set to expire at the end of August. “I think it would be worth all of us stepping back from this and seeking to get a mediated solution to solve this really difficult problem.”
The request comes amid frustration from many state negotiators that the Trump administration has taken a hands-off approach to the high-stakes negotiations over the future of the 1,450-mile river that supplies water for cities, farms and industries from Wyoming to Mexico.
